Two Words Are All It Takes
by izumi minamoto
Summary: The sound of a gunshot echoed through the building. My eyes widened. I screamed, tears pouring from my eyes. My hand reached out for his. I'm sorry I won't be there for you.


Two Words Are All It Takes

Hi everyone! I'm back for yet another fanfic! In case some of you don't know, my friend, Kami Chibi and I have started a second account where we write fanfics together. She gives the main ideas, and I add things, change things, and add fluff, ideas, details and stuff to hopefully make it slightly more enjoyable. Our pen name is known as Kamikaze Chibi, otherwise, taken apart to form, Kami Chibi and Kaze Chibi. Kami Chibi will be my friend's nickname, and Kaze Chibi will be my name. One of the fanfics posted there has been entered into the Anime North Fanfiction Contest, so please do review. The name of that story is One Last Letter.

Anyways, here's an angst future fic. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: If I owned Digimon, I wouldn't be writing _fan_fiction now would I?

* * *

"Izumi! What did we just go over about you needing to be careful?" shouted the worried voice of my dark-haired husband. "I told you not to go down the stairs on your own!" he continued. 

His name was Kouji. Kouji Minamoto. And we've been happily married for about six years now. We first met many years ago, in a place called the Digital World. It was this weird digital place full of creatures named digimon.

"I'm fine! I can get down the stairs on my own! I've been doing it before I even met you!" I argued, not in the mood for one more of his lectures.

We met in the Digi-world along with three other children. Takuya Kanbara, Junpei Shibayama, and Tomoki Himi. We were all chosen children who could become the Legendary Warriors to protect the digital world from evil. Using things we called 'spirits', it allowed us to become digimon and fight to protect ourselves as well as the world. Takuya, the goggle-headed leader, had the Spirits of Fire. Kouji, otherwise known as the lone wolf of the group, owned the Spirits of Light. Junpei, our fellow magician, controlled the Spirits of Thunder. Tomoki, the youngest child had the Spirits of Ice and last but not least, I myself, had the Spirits of Wind. After a while of traveling and fighting as digimon, we soon met up with the last child. Kouji's long lost twin brother, Kouichi Kimura. He was the wielder of the Spirits of Darkness.

"No you're not fine! I don't care if you've been doing it before you met me! You weren't pregnant then! But you are now! With our child! You've got to be more careful!" he yelled. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

"I'd die if anything happened to you." He spoke, both his eyes and his voice softening, his arms wrapping around me to pull me into an embrace. A soft smile reached my lips.

We went through many adventures together to save the Digital World, and it took us a while before we finally defeated the evil Lucemon to set the world back at ease.

I had found Kouji to be a real jerk at first, but we soon became friends. The entire group had grown rather close. So even after we returned to the real world, we never failed to keep in touch and meet up at least once a week to hang out.

"Thanks Kouji."

He returned the smile but said nothing.

Our group remained close friends for quite a while. For a short time, I was even dating our goggle-head leader, Takuya. It didn't last long though. Our love was only that of brotherly and sisterly love. I guess it took me a while to accept that, and for some time, I was a little upset. That's when Kouji was there for me. Every time I was feeling down, I could count on him to listen to my problems. I could call him and annoy him with my problems and he'd listen. Well… there were times where he fell asleep listening because I was complaining late at night or something. But at least he didn't hang up or tell me to leave him alone or something. He'd _try _to listen. 'Try' would be the main word because there were also times where he simply stopped paying attention or just placed the phone down. But he was listening _most _of the time.

We started going out after. All through high school, we remained together. And here we are now, fourteen years later, happily married, and nine and a half months pregnant.

There was yet another moment of silence, before he finally spoke up once more.

"Hey. Let's go to the bank." He told me, pulling out of our hug to retrieve his keys as well as our coats.

"Why?"

"Well, the baby's due soon right? We still haven't gotten her a baby stroller!" he reminded me. My eyes widened. I had completely forgotten.

Reaching for my coat, he helped me get it on before helping me into the car, climbing into the driver's seat after me. It only took minutes to arrive at the bank.

Kouji had argued for me to stay in the car and that he would be quick. Once again, not wanting to sit still, I refused. There was a moment of bickering before he sighed, finally agreeing. He helped me out of the car, keeping an arm around me to help support me in case something happened.

Once inside, we stood in line for a while, waiting our turns. And unfortunately for us, of all times to go to the bank, we had chosen today, at this time and at this bank.

_Bang._

The sound of a gunshot echoed through the halls.

Two crooks had burst into the building, each with guns at hand. It seemed the police were after them and they had burst in here in an attempt to take hostages and keep the cops away.

All that happened next was a blur to me. I had screamed in pain. I saw Kouji's worried face. He was shouting. At me or at someone else, I couldn't tell. My water had broken. The baby was to be born soon. It all happened at the wrong time and at the wrong place.

With us being the source of disruption, we were quickly noticed by the two thugs. The one closest to Kouji and I pointed the gun at me, saying something. I couldn't hear him. I think he said shut up. Kouji had said something in return. I could hear nothing. My heart was beating fast and I couldn't think straight. I was bleeding and feeling light headed. What was happening?

There were a few more exchanges of words and a few more yells for me to shut up before the sound of a gunshot echoed through the building for the second time that day. My eyes widened and I was screaming by now. Pain surged through me. At the sound of the gunshot, the police rushed in, knocking the gun out of the crook's hand while he was still distracted. The rest was unknown to me. All I could see was the figure in front of me. Kouji. He was smiling, but pain was more than evident in his features. He had blocked the shot for me. The crook was going to shoot me to shut me up. But Kouji had intercepted it, the bullet piercing into his back. Tears poured from my eyes. Ignoring the pain as best as I could, I reached a shaky hand for him.

* * *

I sat quietly in the small white chair like I have been doing so for the past two hours. I wrapped a hand around Kouji's left hand, my other arm supporting the two year old sleeping on my lap. I was staring at Kouji intently as if expecting him to wake up at any moment. He didn't wake up. He hasn't woken up for two whole years. But that's okay. I'll wait. Good things come to those who wait. 

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. _

That sound. It was the beeping of the machines, measuring his heart rate. How I hated that sound. Yet how I loved that sound. It told me he hadn't left me. And I was grateful for it. But at the same time, it reminded me he was still in the hospital. Unconscious. Otherwise, such a machine would not be needed.

My mind flew back to the incident that had left him like this. After the crooks had been arrested, the paramedics had arrived seconds later, pulling us apart to put us onto stretchers. My hand never left his until our stretchers were wheeled apart and into two separate ambulances. I saw him again as they wheeled us into the hospital. Our hands reached out for each other's, but before they could touch, we were pulled away into the emergency rooms. I remember him saying something to me.

"Izumi… I-I'm sorry… I w-won't be there for you…" he had barely breathed out.

I never accepted his apology. He _was_ there for me. Because the whole time I was in labor, he was there for me spiritually if not physically.

Two years had passed since then. It's Suki's second birthday today. The day he was left in a coma. He hadn't woken up after the operation as he was expected to. And I've been caring for our daughter, Suki, since then, with Takuya and the others' help quite obviously. She's already two years old, yet she hasn't uttered a single word. If not for her occasional sounds of crying, you wouldn't know what her voice even sounded like. Every doctor I've taken her to claims that there is nothing wrong with her. Perhaps she's just a slow learner. But she seems to understand a lot when I talk to her. Maybe there's a reason she's not talking?

For some reason, I've always found myself believing that she was waiting. Waiting to speak. Waiting for her daddy to wake up so he would hear her first words.

I sighed, pulling my hand away from Kouji's to shift a bit in an attempt to rid my legs of its numbness before wrapping my hand back around Kouji's once more. I've been here everyday for at least three hours a day after work to see Kouji. I would occasionally speak to him. But at the moment, I had a feeling he wasn't in the mood for listening. So I said nothing.

For the next half an hour, I continued to sit, Suki continuing to nap. My head began to lower, my eyes drooping as fatigue took over. But before I could fall asleep…there was a sound. My eyes widened in fear. That sound. The sound I dreaded to hear. The dead toned sound of the machine. His heart. It has stopped. I screamed, shouting as loudly as I could for a doctor, tears streaming down my face now. Suki was up and standing on her own now, pulling at my hand with a fearful look on her face. A look that screamed 'mamma what's wrong?'

I could only look on helplessly as the doctors and nurses rushed in, doing all they could to preserve his life. I could only cling onto our one and only daughter, hoping with all I had, that he would be all right. I could only cry as their attempts failed for the umpteenth time. I could do nothing.

_150! Clear! There's no response doctor! 200! Clear! Nothing! 250! Clear! He's not responding! 260! Doctor, we've lost him… he's given up on us…_

The words of the nurses passed by me shallowly. I could barely hear them. I couldn't think straight, hear properly nor stand decently. I was on the floor now, drowning in my own fears. This can't be happening. No… this is all a bad dream… no… Kouji… you've been fighting for two years now… so why are you giving up now?

My mind raced. I wanted to scream at him. Shout at him. Yell at him. Slap him. Anything to wake him up, and anything to show him what he was doing to me. How could he just leave me like that? How could he leave _us_ like that? How could he be so irresponsible? He hasn't even spent any time with Suki! How could he give up on us after all we've done to help him fight for the past two years?

No. I shouldn't be saying that. I'm being selfish. But I can't help it. He's been suffering for the past two years. Fighting everyday just to stay alive and hope that one day he'll wake up to see us once more. But he's had too much. He can't fight anymore. I can't make him suffer because I want him by my side. Perhaps this would be better for him. Death would be better. He wouldn't have to suffer. But I still can't help feeling angry with him. He means the world to me. And he's left me. I can't just let him pass by. I'm joining him. Death. If it takes him, it'll take us both.

I could no longer look on at his lifeless form. Turning away, I froze when a small hand wrapped around my own. I turned around. Suki. My tears were flowing even faster by now, realizations dawning upon me. Guilt rushed through me. What was I thinking? I would be even more irresponsible if I had decided to join Kouji in the other world, leaving our two-year old daughter behind.

She stared at me with large eyes. Pleading for me to stay. Her left hand grasping mine, her other hand reaching for Kouji's. Tugging me closer, I followed her as she guided my hands towards Kouji's. Once my hand touched his, she pulled my fingers around his hand before placing her hands around our joined ones. She then looked at me.

"Mommy."

She looked at Kouji.

"Daddy."

My eyes widened. She spoke. Suki spoke. My heart stopped for a second, but was replaced by the sound of another one's heart beat.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep_

My heart nearly doubled in speed. Was I hearing things?

_Doctor! The patient! His heart rate has returned! And he's gaining consciousness!_

Am I dreaming? Did I hear right? I snapped out of my reverie.

"Kouji!" I could hear myself calling to him, delight replacing my earlier thoughts as I saw his sapphire eyes open slowly. Jumping forward, I reached down to wrap my arms around him.

"H-hey… Izu…mi…" he managed to whisper weakly wincing slightly but, smiling altogether. How I loved hearing his voice. The voice I hadn't heard in such a long time.

"H-hey… Kou…" I somehow replied between my cries of joy and relief, still embracing him. He had managed to somewhat return my hug, throwing an arm limply over my back.

After a moment of embracing him, one of the nurses peeled me away, telling me he needed rest. And although I wasn't looking behind me, I could feel Suki was smiling.

Turning around to face her, I wrapped my arms around Suki, pulling her into a tight embrace as I began crying once more.

"I'm… s-so sorry… Suki…" I gasped out between breaths. "Sorry that I… even _thought _of… leaving you… behind." She returned my embrace, seeming to know I needed it at the moment. We stayed that way for a second before I pulled away, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Let's follow the nurses to daddy's room okay? Daddy is awake now. He'll be out of the hospital in no time." I told her once I had regained a more steady breath. She nodded. And I frowned. Was she back to being silent again? I opened my mouth to ask her why she's never spoken before, but decided now was a bad time to ask. Clamping my mouth shut once more, I wrapped a hand around hers and led her to Kouji's room.

* * *

"Daddy! You promised you'd take me to the park today!" the six-year old girl whined, pulling at the dark blue sleeve of her daddy's jacket. I smiled. Suki had started speaking after Kouji had awoken. It was just as I had guessed. She was waiting for her daddy to hear her first words. I hadn't asked her if that was the reason, but I took it to be. 

"I'll be right there, just give daddy a minute to finish his work okay?" he asked as nicely as possible, a vein throbbing at his forehead. He was walking around the house, looking hopelessly for the young two-year old boy who had stolen some of his most important documents needed for work.

I giggled watching the scene before me. I couldn't help him. I was yet again pregnant with the third child, and so could only stand at the base of the stairwell, watching amusedly as Kouji ran up the stairs and down again in an attempt to snatch the documents away from our son without destroying the already half-ruined pages.

At some point, he lost his balance and nearly fell when the young boy tossed the documents to the ground behind himself, causing Kouji to jump quickly, trying hard not to step on them. He nearly stepped on them. But didn't. I laughed. And he glared at me before smiling as well, picking up his well-earned prize.

Placing them at a higher and harder-to-reach place, he walked back to me, guiding me to the couch as his protective side took over again, nagging me to sit down. I could only smile at him. Years ago, I would've gotten annoyed at his nagging. Yet years after I would die to hear his voice.

I don't mind his nagging anymore. I'd do anything to keep it this way. As long as he is alive and breathing, then everything's okay. That coma he was in years ago had made me realize a lot.

As if reading my mind, his eyes softened.

"Izumi… I-I'm sorry… I wasn't there for you…" he whispered just as he had done so years ago. But there was a difference. Years ago, it was 'I'm sorry I_ won't _be there'. Now it is 'I'm sorry I _wasn't _there'. There's a difference with just one word. He wasn't there. But he's here now.

Two words had awoken him. But one word, made all the difference.

* * *

A/N: This is the first time I've written an angst fic, so please let me know if it wasn't quite sad enough. I have ideas for a sequel to this, so I may write one. Please review and let me know what you think! 


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